TIPS FROM YOUR TRAINING COMPANY

I’ve personally worked in a number of organizations where I’ve seen some of the best and some of the absolute worse onboarding processes play out!  Considering the cost and time that goes into the recruitment and hiring process, one would expect business leaders to spend the extra time on developing a strong employee onboarding process, especially since statistics show that companies lose up to 25% of their new hires in the first year!As a corporate training provider that deals with global organizations, we’ve seen a few different reasons for employees to leave so quickly however; many of them can be tied back to the onboarding that the employee experienced.¹ 

Before getting into key things that effective onboarding processes include, it is important to first distinguish the difference between orientation, onboarding and training, something we work through with our valued clients here at TrainingFolks.

Although there are aspects that will overlap into one another, a successful hire (who is not planning their exit within the first few months of coming on board) should experience all three.

Orientation

When your new hire comes on board, they need to understand general housekeeping rules.  They also need to understand where to find things, how to access the building and book meeting rooms and of course where to get their morning coffee!  In addition it’s when your new employee will learn about the history of the company, the goals and objectives, corporate structure and its relationship to their specific role and future plans.  Dress code, reporting procedure and general code of conduct are all part of this process.  Based on their role, this can also be done in a group setting with other similar hires or one on one with the hiring manager or the HR representative. 

Training

Now, training can start day 1 and may continue well into the employee’s time with the organization.  Basic training on software, procedures and processes will allow them to get started in their new role and begin to contribute to the organization.  From there, training can extend to include employee development, new technology training as it arises, or even sales training if applicable.  The point is that training is not necessarily laid out at milestones and can vary based on what’s happening with the company and the industry as a whole.

Onboarding

So how does employee onboarding fit in when you already have orientation to get your new hire up and running and training to allow them to do their job as efficiently as possible? 

Onboarding is defined as “organizational socialization, through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders.”²  

The key here is socialization and includes much more than training and orientation alone.  This is where the new hire begins to feel like they are truly part of the organization and will continue to do so as they progress in their work career with you.

A good onboarding program includes touch points even before your new hire starts with you and continues on at various milestones during employment from week 1 to the end of month 1 and then onwards from there.

7 Tips to Onboarding Success_Free Download

The costs of losing an employee extend well beyond the financial burden to the company which studies have shown can be up to 16% of annual salary for high-turnover positions like with retail and up to 213% of annual salary for higher executive positions like a CEO.³ 

Other impacts to the organization include

• lost productivity both before and after they leave
• possible errors caused by the lack of interest of your lost employee or by someone trying to fill in after they have quit
• the training costs associated to the replacement hire and
• the impact on team morale and overall company culture

It’s only a matter of time before people start to ask why so many people leave.

With all of this at stake the question as to why so many organizations ignore onboarding as a key part of business success is bewildering!

Take the time to assess your current onboarding strategy; it may be the answer to the higher rate of attrition you’ve been experiencing.

You can also download this free onboarding checklist to get you started from the global training experts here at TrainingFolks.

¹https://www.hrbartender.com/2012/recruiting/employee-turnover-caused-by-bad-onboarding-programs/

²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onboarding

³ https://www.zanebenefits.com/blog/bid/312123/employee-retention-the-real-cost-of-losing